The Couple in the Wilderness
by perscribo
Summary: An accident results in Booth and Brennan getting stranded in the woods. With only each other to depend on, they fight to survive while waiting for help to arrive. Story now complete!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Bones

 ** _I've had this story idea around in my head for some time. I wondered what would it be like if B &B are put into a situation where they were lost in the wild and had to survive? Booth was Ranger trained so I reckon he would know what to do. Anyway, read on and tell me if it's any good. _**

One minute they were making plans to take the kids to the zoo over the weekend, and the next the standard-issue FBI SUV was careening off the road, speeding down the steep ravine at breakneck speeds.

"Hang on!" was the last thing Brennan remembered hearing her husband yell.

… …

The day had started off routinely, dropping Christine at school then Hank at day care. Then it was work as usual for their latest case which required them to interview a suspect who lived out in a very remote region in the forests of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It had been a long drive that morning and the interview proved less useful than the couple had hoped. Their interview was concluded a little after midday and sitting in the SUV, the coupe finished sandwiches that Brennan had made in preparation for their trip quickly, before heading back to civilization, as Booth had put it.

On the drive back, the couple had spent their journey comparing notes on the case. Brennan hoped that they would make it back in time for her to drop by the lab to check on the remains that she had told Dr Fuentes to clean. Booth, hoping Aubrey had better luck chasing his lead, wanted to swap notes back at his office. Knowing they were short on time, his foot pressed on the gas pedal a little harder, urging his car to speed up. As he drove, he let his mind wander, shifting the conversation to what he had been thinking of.

"You know last night, in the tub, it was pretty amazing huh?"

Brennan grinned back at him. "Yes, it was. Sex in the tub is always amazing."

Booth chuckled. She was right. "Maybe we could do it again tonight after the kids are asleep."

"I'm very much looking forward to tonight then." Brennan reached over and smoothed her hand up her husband's thigh suggestively.

Their conversation had then changed to their children and plans for the weekend when a deer darted in front of the car. Booth jammed on the brakes and swerved but that action sent the car in an uncontrolled spin before barrelling down the steep slope toward the swirling river below.

… …

The car hit the water at a force much lesser than Brennan had expected. The initial shock took seconds to wear off. Water was seeping into the car, not fast enough to panic her but fast enough for her to know that if she did not want to drown she would have to exit the vehicle quickly.

"Booth, we need to get out of here." Brennan said as she tugged at her seat belt. The freezing cold water that was now at the level of her calves shocked her warm body, causing her to take a deep breath. The movement caused a dull ache in her chest. She wasn't sure if her seatbelt had cracked her ribs or merely bruised them but she didn't have time to access her injuries now.

"Booth!" she called again with more urgency when he didn't respond. She turned her head, the action causing a sharp pain in her neck which she attributed to whiplash.

Her heart that had been thudding wildly in her chest skipped a beat when she saw her husband slumped over the steering wheel. He was unconscious and bleeding from a deep gash just above his right temple.

"Booth!" She tugged at her seat belt buckle again, cursing at what had moments ago saved her, but now restrained her movements, likely to trap her in her watery grave if she didn't manage to free herself soon. She reached across to shake him gently. She concluded that the impact had likely rendered him unconscious, and the fact that he wasn't wearing a seatbelt meant that the force of the crash was greater on him than her.

Brennan pressed on the buckle and tugged a third time with all her might before her seatbelt came loose. She quickly tried to assess the situation. The water was now almost at seat level. She had to somehow get herself and Booth out before the car went under. Booth was a big man and she knew she would not have the strength to drag him out. In that moment, she knew that she would not abandon him. The only way for both of them to survive was to try to get him to wake up.

"Booth!" she shook him roughly, relieved when he started to groan, his eyes blinking as they slowly opened.

Booth grimaced as he began to feel the pain from his injuries. He slowly lifted his head. His foggy brain tried to fathom what was going on. He vaguely recollected that they had been in an accident. "You okay?"

"Yes, but we need to get out of here. The water is rising fast."

Her words seemed to make him realise the gravity of their situation and Booth tuned his head to take stock of their surroundings, only to let out a soft moan of pain.

"Your head?" Brennan asked, concerned.

"Yeah. It's… nothing." Ignoring the pounding headache, he tried opening the car door but it was jammed shut. "Try your door."

Brennan tried but her door refused to open as well. The car was tilted forward and the front was sinking faster than the back. "Maybe the back doors would open."

"Wait, Bones." Booth managed, but before he could stop her, Brennan had climbed into the back seat. She glanced back at Booth, noting how his movements seemed sluggish. She pushed back the fear that he could be having a serious head injury and tried the door behind Booth. It didn't budge. The force of the rushing river water was keeping her from opening the car door. She let out a frustrated sigh.

Booth managed to climb into the backseat as well. He tried the other door. Kicking it with his legs. He was breathing heavily and Brennan knew he was trying to hide the amount of discomfort he was in from her. The car was almost completely submerged now and the water had risen to their chest level.

Booth cast his wife a glance but it was enough to let her know what he was thinking. If they didn't get out soon, they would both drown. The option was not acceptable. He didn't need her to say anything to know that she was thinking the same thing.

"Maybe if we pushed together." Brennan suggested.

"Okay, on my count." Booth agreed. "One, two, three!"

Husband and wife pushed with all their might and to their relief the door opened a fraction and ice cold water rushed in, sinking the car even faster. Booth grunted under the weight, using his legs to push against the floor and open the door wide enough for Brennan to squeeze through.

"Get out!" Booth yelled, struggling to hold the door open as she climbed over him.

Brennan squeezed out the door, and kept swimming. She turned back and for a few terrifying moments, couldn't see Booth. She worried that he was still trapped in the car but after what seemed like an inordinate amount of time, his head broke the surface of the water. He was gasping for air but motioned for her to head to shore. Satisfied he was okay, Brennan started swimming. The current was strong and after what seemed like an eternity, she felt her knees scrape the riverbed. She crawled up the embankment collapsing from exhaustion. Booth collapsed next to her, trying to catch his breath.

He turned his head to look at Brennan, his eyes scanning her body. Other than her clothes being soaked through, she didn't appear to have any visible injuries. He reached over and took her hand, thankful she hadn't been seriously hurt in the accident, thankful they didn't go down with the car into the murky depths of the river.

"You okay Bones?"

"Yes." Brennan replied. "How's your head?"

His head was throbbing badly, his thoughts felt muddled and fogged up and it hurt to breathe but he didn't want to worry her. "I'm good."

"We need to get help."

"Yeah." Booth lifted his head to look up the steep slope that their car had just came crashing down. The movement caused a wave of dizziness and nausea to sweep over him, along with a lancing pain and he grimaced. "I don't think we can climb out of here. It's too steep and if we lose our footing, the fall might kill us."

"I agree." Brennan was worried, she didn't miss the look of pain that flashed across Booth's face. "My phone was in my purse."

"Which is now at the bottom of the river. But I managed to pull this out." He gestured at the black duffel bag that was lying next to him. It contained a spare change of clothes for the both of them. It was something they kept in the car for use in case their clothing were dirtied at a crime scene.

Booth reached into his pants pocket, pulling out its contents. His sobriety chip from GA, a butane lighter, a pocket knife and his cell phone.

"I guess it would be too much to ask… " Booth said as he tried his phone. It refused to turn on.

"Maybe we could wait till another car passes by."

"I don't think we could get anyone's attention form down here."

"We could wait here, someone would surely notice that we're missing."

"The car has a GPS installed." Booth agreed. His mind shifted gears into Ranger mode. They were in a survival situation now and it was up to him to keep them both alive until help arrived. Summer was giving way to fall and although it wasn't that cold, he knew temperatures would start to drop as the day wore on.

"It might be dark before anyone finds us." Booth opened the duffel bag. "We need to get out of these wet clothes, get dry before the temperatures drop. Hopefully, the clothes in here aren't as wet as what we're wearing."

"You're right." Brennan knew that as the water evaporated from their wet clothes, their precious body heat would be lost as well. She began to peel off her soaking jacket. She then started to unbutton her blouse.

Booth wanted to protest but reasoned that there was nobody else here to see her in her underwear anyway. He removed his gun from its holster and placed it on the pebbled riverbank next to him, then peeled off his wet jacket, shirt and pants, laying them beside Brennan's clothes.

Brennan gasped as she saw a dark angry-looking bruise in the shape of the car's steering wheel over his chest. "Your ribs could be broken." She bit back her next retort. Now was not the time to remind him why she hated that he never wore his seatbelt.

"I'm okay Bones. Don't worry." He offered her a reassuring smile. "You've got one too."

Brennan looked down, only to realise she too sported a faint bruise across her chest where her seatbelt had restrained her.

"Mine doesn't look as bad as yours." Brennan moved towards Booth, her fingers gently probing at his chest. He winced.

"I don't think anything's broken, but you might have cracked ribs." She looked to his head wound. It was still oozing blood. "I need to stop the bleeding." She picked up Booth's wet shirt and pressed it to the gash on his head. "This isn't the most sterile but it's the best we can do given the circumstances."

"Ow! Bones!"

"Don't be a baby!" She teased in mock annoyance. Inside she was worried. Booth seems to be moving sluggishly and given his history of brain surgery, she worried he had a more serious head injury which she couldn't see. She strongly suspected he might have a concussion.

"You know," Booth grinned, "if we weren't in such a state, I'd be pretty turned on right now, since we're both just sitting here with nothing on except for our underwear."

Brennan smiled back. "I'm glad we're both okay. That could have turned out a lot worse."

After some time, she checked on Booth's head wound. "The bleeding's almost stopped. But you might need stitches. It's a pretty deep cut." She laid his shirt back out onto the river bank.

Booth pulled her towards him. "We should share body heat. You know so we don't get cold."

Brennan laughed. "Yes we should. But a hug for no reason is nice too."

Booth smiled as Brennan carefully leaned into his frame, mindful of his possible cracked ribs. The nausea and dizziness came in waves and his throbbing headache didn't let up but he was thankful that after all that had happened, he was alive and holding the woman he loved in his arms.

 ** _Alright guys, lay it on me. How was this first chapter? I apologise in advance if I'm not factually accurate on this one, it's not like I was ever in such a situation before._**

 ** _This is likely going to be a short story that leads into another story idea. You'll understand once I get more chapters up. In the meantime, FFN has been wonky. Story alerts aren't being sent out, so go check out my latest chapter to "Everything That Happens Next", if you haven't. Thanks, FaithinBones for informing me._**


	2. Chapter 2

**_As always, I'm real glad to see this story idea has gotten a warm welcome from all of you. Thank you for your many faves, follows and reviews._** ** _Kareneb, 554Laura, gatewatcher, MstgSzy (glad you felt the tension), nourseholly, geraghtyvl, loverofbones_** ** _,_** ** _MoreBonesPlz,_** ** _jsboneslover_** ** _(yup they're feeling pretty miserable right now but at least they have each other),_** ** _Pamela Carmo (yup, just like Brennan, you're right to be worried about Booth's head injury), Poppyblue5, pauchacottle._**

 ** _I last left our fave couple cold and wet and sitting in their underwear on the river bank. Let's try to make them more comfortable, shall we?_**

The couple stared at the rushing river as they sat in silence on the river bank. If they weren't just involved in an accident, Booth thought they could easily have fallen asleep in each other's arms. It felt surreal, almost comical, sitting along a river bank somewhere in the mountains, waiting for their underwear to dry. Booth checked his watch, happy to find that it was still working. It was getting late. He began to feel a slight chill descend upon them.

"Bones, I think it's gonna be awhile before anyone realises we're missing. We might have to spend the night out here."

"Hank and Christine…" the mother in her worried that her children wouldn't be cared for.

"They'll be fine. We had arranged for Angela to babysit after school remember? And once Angela realises we're late in getting them from her place, she'll suspect that something's happened and she'll send the cavalry."

"I suppose."

Brennan wanted to believe her husband's optimism. Her brilliant mind weighed the facts and the odds of someone realising they were missing any time soon were slim. Both had assumed that they would be working late that day and had made arrangements for their children based on that assumption. She took comfort in the fact that she was there with Booth and he had come through multiple times before when they were in dire situations. She glanced up at him. He had been trying his best to hide it from her but his breathing was laboured and his face still wore a mask of pain. She hoped that someone would come for them soon.

"We need to move." Booth's voice interrupted her train of thoughts. "Find shelter. We shouldn't stay by the river when it gets dark. Animals might come by for a drink or the river could flood. That and though it's not hunting season, you never know. I don't want us to accidentally get shot by some over-enthusiastic hunter."

"If we are too far from the car, rescuers might not find us."

"It's a risk we're gonna have to take. There could be bears or bobcats in these woods."

"Booth…"

"Bones you gotta trust me alright? I was a Ranger."

"I do trust you Booth."

Booth squeezed his wife gently. "We're gonna be okay. Rescuers would be coming for us in no time. This will all turn out to be a good story to tell the kids. But in the meantime we need to be prepared."

Brennan nodded. "What should we do?"

"First, we gotta put some dry clothes on. It'll be dark soon. I figure we should follow the river upstream, find some place we could settle down for the night, that should be good enough for now."

The couple put on their much drier clothes from the duffel bag, with Booth having a little more difficulty than Brennan at the simple task. All these little signs seemed to confirm Brennan's suspicions that he was indeed suffering from a concussion. With their clothes and jackets back on, the couple felt warmer. Booth stuffed the still damp clothes they were wearing at the time of the accident into the duffel bag. He put his lighter, sobriety chip, pocket knife and cell phone back in his jeans pocket. He figured Angela might be able to track them even if his cell phone was currently useless. He holstered his gun, glad to have it with him for protection. Using his pocket knife he carved an arrow, along with the letters "BB" into the trunk of a nearby tree.

"So people know which way we went." Booth explained.

He led the way moving further away from the river but keeping it in sight. Every now and then Booth stopped to get his bearings, check their surroundings and make sure Brennan was able to keep up. It was also an excuse to catch his breath. His head still pounded and he was feeling a tad light-headed. He would have liked his thoughts to be less muddled but he was operating mostly on his instincts now and he drew on his experience from his days as an Army Ranger. The couple trekked in companionable silence further into the woods until they came upon a tiny clearing where a large tree trunk that had fallen over. The fallen tree provided some shelter over the ground and Booth knew this would have to do for now.

"This might be a good place to spend the night. I can start us a fire and that'll keep the wild animals away. If anyone is here to find us, we aren't too far from the accident, they would see the fire if they were searching for us."

"I'll find us some dry twigs or branches that you can start a fire with." Brennan offered.

"Nah, you need to rest. I'll do that."

"No. You might be trying to hide it from me, but I can tell you're clearly in pain. _You_ should rest."

"Bones it's okay. I'm fine."

"No Booth. You don't have to do everything. I can help. Please let me." Brennan didn't add that her worry for him was growing. If he was bleeding internally there would be nothing she could do that night except to watch him slowly die. It wasn't something she wanted to experience. She hoped that help would arrive soon.

Perhaps it was the worry in her voice, or perhaps it was the exhaustion he was feeling but Booth relented. He handed her his small pocket knife. "Don't wander off too far and always make sure you have me in sight."

Brennan nodded. She had to hurry. The sky was slowly starting to darken, night was falling.

When she returned, Booth had fashioned a makeshift mattress with dried leaves below the tree trunk.

"Our bed for the night. Why don't you go check it out while I get the fire started?"

Booth arranged the twigs that Brennan had collected, hoping they would be enough to last the night. He sent a quick prayer heavenward before trying his lighter. Thankfully it sparked and the twigs caught fire. Satisfied he crawled under the tree trunk to join his wife.

"Betcha didn't think we'd be camping out in the woods tonight." Booth joked.

"No, I certainly did not foresee this."

Night fell and the fire cast eerie shadows across the forest floor. The fallen tree trunk barely provided shelter from the elements but the couple were grateful for each other's company and warmth. They lay side by side, Booth with a protective arm wrapped around his wife. In his other hand, he fingered his gun, comforted by its presence.

Brennan was mindful of Booth's injuries and although she would have loved to lie on his chest like she did back home, she settled for snuggling into his side. Lying on her side, she tucked her arm under her head, and with her other hand she smoothed her palm gently up and down the plains of his chest. The rise and fall of each breath he took comforted her.

"I hope the kids are okay." Brennan spoke, her voice betraying her worry.

"They'll be fine. I'm sure Angela or Aubrey has them."

"Are you okay?"

"Bones you've asked me like a thousand times today."

"I can tell you're in pain Booth. Don't try to hide it."

Booth sighed. It was one of those times he hated that his wife was an expert in human anatomy.

"My head hurts. It hurts to breathe. But I'm not gonna die okay? I don't have your permission remember?" He left out the fact that he was still dizzy and he felt exhausted.

Brennan wanted to laugh but she couldn't.

"Hey Bones," he hooked his index finger, placing it under her chin. Gently, he tilted her head towards him with his finger, their eyes meeting. He watched the reflection of the flames in her eyes that held unshed tears. "I'm okay, I won't die on you tonight. I promise. I've been through worse. You know that."

"Okay." She whispered.

"You hurt your neck. Don't think I didn't notice." He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, then moved his hand to gently massage the nape of her neck.

"It's probably just whiplash. It's not life-threatening."

"I'm sorry I should've paid more attention to the road."

"That deer came out of nowhere. It wasn't your fault."

Booth's stomach growled, reminding them that they hadn't had anything to eat or drink in some time. His mouth felt dry and he realised he was thirsty.

"Tomorrow morning, we'll need to find fresh water."

"But we shouldn't need to if someone rescues us by then."

Booth nodded, half-agreeing with her. He wasn't so sure but he didn't want to worry her. "You should try to get some sleep." He pressed another kiss to her head.

They lay in each other's arms as Booth fought back his exhaustion, not wanting to fall asleep. He wanted to make sure the fire did not go out and he had to protect them from whatever was lurking in the woods at night.

He absently ran his hand up and down her arm, and felt her breathing even into a slow rhythm. He was sure she had drifted off to sleep when she spoke, "Booth?"

"Hmmm?"

"I want another baby."

Booth froze, unsure where that came from. In their years together he thought he had gotten used to her random thoughts blurted at inopportune moments but he wasn't quite prepared for this revelation at that very moment.

"What?" He wondered if she had some unknown head injury or that he had fallen asleep and was dreaming.

"I want another baby. With you."

He didn't think she would want a baby with anyone else. "And you're deciding this now?!"

"The job we have is dangerous and that's an accepted risk. But a traffic accident, it's unpredictable. If we had both died in the accident, our children would be orphans. Parker's much older but it wouldn't be fair to place the burden on him. Having another child would mean Hank and Christine have one more person to depend on."

"Okay? Maybe you should think this over after we're back in civilisation."

"I'm very lucid Booth. I know what I'm thinking. You don't want another child?"

"I'm always happy to have more kids with you Bones but whatever happened to wanting me to get a vasectomy?"

"I concluded then that I wasn't ready to say that we'd stop having children." Brennan wondered if his head injury had made him forget.

"You must be really glad I didn't do as you wanted huh?"

"Yes on hindsight, I'm glad you didn't. We can start trying for a baby once we recover from this ordeal."

"Whoa Bones. Let's just concentrate on getting out of here alive and back to our three existing kids before we talk about this again okay?"

"Okay." Brennan grudgingly agreed. "I'll try to get some sleep now. You should too. Night Booth. I love you."

"I love you too."

 ** _LOL! Don't you just love Brennan and the things she says?_**

 ** _I'm intending to work on this story till the end. I figure it'll take another 2 to 3 chapters. So, updates for my other stories (although some already have their skeletons written up) are currently on hiatus till this one is done._**

 ** _A review on your way out would be much appreciated!_**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Thank yous must be said, especially to those who had taken the time to leave a review. b_** ** _ookwormlady, MstgSzy (lol! bag the sniper episode, yup that's the one I'm referring to in my AN), gatewatcher (everyone would love Booth snuggles), MoreBonesPlz (unfortunately he's in for abt more pain before he gets any help), topaz270, 554Laura, kareneb (things aren't really improving much yet), Poppyblue5 (ouch, glad you made a full recovery),_** ** _jsboneslover_** ** _._** ** _To the many who have followed and faved thank you too._**

 ** _Some of you were quick to point out that it was an oversight of Brennan's (and mine) to allow Booth to fall asleep if she suspected that he was suffering from a concussion. I hope you'll pardon her, she had just been in an accident. This chapter does address this fact._**

 ** _As to the baby thing, when I watched The New Tricks in the Old Dogs, I thought that if season 12 wasn't going to be the last, it would have been very possible for B &B to have another kid. Especially after their car conversation. So, I'd like to explore that possibility but in another fic. _**

**_A disclaimer before we get started on the next chapter, I'd like to state that my knowledge on the subject of surviving in the wild is limited so bear with me. This chapter might require you to suspend some degree of disbelief._**

 ** _Thanks for reading my very long AN, let's get on with the story._**

It was a cool night, the canopy of the forest preventing much moonlight from shinning down to where the couple lay. The small fire provided much needed warmth and light in the darkness. Booth was exhausted but his tired brain would not let him sleep, which was a good thing since he wanted to stay awake to keep watch on their little camp site. Every breath still hurt and the fogginess in his brain persisted, preventing the clarity of thought he knew he needed to get them out alive. To stay awake, he turned things over in his mind, formulating a plan. Given the fact that he knew he might not be thinking straight, he hoped the plan would work.

It was dawn when Brennan stirred. Their camp fire had burned itself out but the sun was beginning to rise, providing some light and warmth to the cold, misty morning. Her aching body immediately reminded her of their predicament and she suddenly remembered belatedly that she shouldn't have allowed Booth to fall asleep. She hurriedly turned her head to check on him. Her neck protested the action with a dull ache. She was shocked to find that he looked worse than the day before. His eyes were ashen and during the night the gash where he had hit his forehead had swelled up and begun to bleed again, leaving a trail of matted blood down his cheek. His eyes though open looked glazed over.

"Booth," her tongue, stuck to the roof of her mouth, felt like it was swollen and she was very thirsty.

He blinked slowly. "Bones." His speech seemed a little more slurred. The panic in her rose. She knew he needed medical attention soon.

"We need to get help."

"Yeah." Booth swallowed and this throat felt sore. His thoughts were muddled and he wasn't sure if there was a fog that had descended on them or that his vision was blurred.

Slowly, the couple got to their feet, with Booth taking some time to steady himself.

"We need to find water." Brennan stated. "We're both getting dehydrated. Although, I don't think we should drink the water from the river, it is full of fecal matter."

She paused. Normally talk on fecal matter would cause Booth to voice his disgust on the subject. This time he was strangely mute.

"We should keep going." Booth finally spoke.

"Yes but in which direction?"

"That way." Booth pointed away from the river.

"I thought we should stay close to the river?"

"I've been thinking, our best chance of help is to get the attention of a passing car. We could skirt the bottom of the mountain, hopefully we can find a slope gentle enough we can climb. Then all we gotta do is wait for a car to pass by."

Booth's reasoning was sound, it seemed logical to follow it. She knew he was struggling. She knew she had to take the lead this time. Taking his hand, she led the way, following Booth's instructions. She set a slow pace as they trekked along the bottom of the ridge. She stopped now and then to assess the incline, hoping they would find one they could climb soon. She was extremely thirsty and with each step she felt her energy deplete even further. She couldn't imagine how Booth had to be feeling.

After some time, she felt his hand slip from hers. She turned to find Booth staggering back, leaning against a tree.

"Booth?"

"I'm… I just need to catch my breath."

"You're not okay." Brennan stated, her voice shaky with worry.

"I just… I'm running out of steam here. It just hurts even to walk. I can't catch my breath and my head's killing me. The world's spinning and I can't see very well."

She hurried to his side, taking his arm, she helped him lower himself to the ground. "We'll rest here and when you feel better we can get going again."

"No Bones. I'm just gonna slow you down. We need to find water. You need to find water."

Brennan knew he was right. Given the state they were in and the fact that Booth was injured meant his body might not be able to handle dehydration as well as it should.

"You have a lighter, I could go back to the river. We could start a fire, boil the water and it'll be safe to drink."

"I thought about that last night but we don't have anything to boil the water in. I figure we probably can go another day without anything to drink but it'll be risky. _You_ need to keep moving, get help before both of us are too weak to do that."

"You want me to go on without you?"

"Yeah."

"No! I'm not leaving you Booth."

"Bones if we both stay here, we'll probably have to spend another night out here. I'm not a big fan of sleeping out here in the forest and I don't think you are too. If we don't find water soon, we might pass out. Look, I wanna get out of here as much as you do, and right now our best bet is for you to go ahead without me. If you get help, you can come back for me."

Brennan knew Booth made perfect sense but her heart refused to obey her brain.

"I can't leave you Booth. What if I can't get help in time? What if I leave you and something happens to you? I couldn't live with myself knowing I left you and something happened…"

"I'll hang on. It'll be okay." He tried to offer her a reassuring smile. "I wanna go home to Hank and Christine as much as you do and right now the only way for us to do that is for you to go on without me."

"Booth…"

"Come here." Booth pulled her into his embrace, ignoring the pain in his chest, he held her tightly to him. He just needed her to be okay. He needed to know that he had did his best to make sure she got rescued. Brennan buried her face in the crook of his neck, pushing aside the thought that this could possibly be the last time she saw him alive. Booth straightened with much difficulty. He handed her his gun.

"Just in case you run into a bear or something. You know how to use it."

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine. Just stick to the plan. Skirt the edge of the slopes, find some place not too steep, climb up. Make sure you check for loose rocks. When you climb don't look down just keep going till you reach the top okay? If you can't find a good way up by evening, find some place to wait out the night." He hoped it wouldn't come to that but he didn't say it out loud. He knew if she didn't find help by night, chances were they'd never be found.

An internal conflict raged inside of her. She wavered between not wanting to leave him and going to get help. She was frustrated to the point of tears at their impossible situation. Booth continued giving her instructions.

"Take my watch. When you get help, you go with the rescuers. Don't come back with them for me. Note the time now and the time when they find you. Then all you gotta do is point them in the direction you came from and tell them how long it took for you to get there. They'll find me. Promise you'll do as I say." It was something she didn't do very often, and this time he needed more than anything for her to do as he wanted her to.

Brennan nodded. "Booth I – "

He pressed a shaky finger to her dry, chapped lips. "I know. I love you too. Now go and don't look back. Promise me."

"I promise."

"I'll see you soon Bones." Booth wanted to believe that she would get help. He wanted to believe that he would see her and their children again. But he knew there was a possibility he wouldn't. He knew his head injury was probably bad and he found comfort in the fact that Brennan would be rescued and that if anything happened to him, his children would at least still have their mother.

Brennan dug deep, knowing that it was up to her now to save her husband. She reluctantly extracted herself from his arms, pressing a quick kiss to his lips.

She fisted his jacket. "Don't you die." She knew it was impossible, but she wanted to will him to survive.

"I won't."

And with those parting words, Brennan turned and hurried along the bottom of the slope, just as he had instructed. If she had turned back she would have seen Booth slumping back against the tree, his eyes closing.

Brennan hiked for about an hour before she found an incline that looked manageable. She remembered Booth's words. Tucking Booth's gun in to the waistband of her jeans she tugged at the protruding rocks, pulling at them to test if they came loose. They held. She made it a few feet up before making up her mind that she couldn't waste any more time. It was now or never. Her husband's life could depend on what she did next.

Inch by inch she painstakingly pulled herself up the slope, pulling with her arms and pushing with her legs. About halfway up, one of the rocks she was pulling on came loose and for a terrifying moment she thought she would fall. Instinctively she clawed at the nearby rocks, her hand finding purchase on another sturdier handhold. She hugged the slope, catching her breath, her heart racing. She took only a moment to compose herself before she was climbing upwards again, the thought of Booth propelling her on.

Step by step she pushed herself physically and mentally, until she finally reached the top. She pulled herself onto the dirt track, collapsing on the tiny road, panting. After catching her breath, she stood up on shaky legs, checking Booth's watch. She had left him almost two hours ago. She was hopeful a car would pass by soon and she was right. Before long she saw a truck approaching. She waved her tired arms, hoping the driver would see her and stop.

Her heart leapt as the truck slowed to pull up beside her. She had did it, she had got help. She just hoped it wasn't too late for Booth.

 ** _Booth is usually the hero, in my fics. This time I wanted to have Brennan be the heroine and save the day. One more chapter to go._**

 ** _One more chapter to this story. RL is going to get busy in the coming week, I hope I'll be able to post the last chapter some time next week._**


	4. Chapter 4

**_Apologies for leaving everyone with a cliffhanger (no pun intended)._**

 ** _Shout outs to_** ** _Pamela Carmo, bookwormlady,_** ** _Tess_** ** _,_** ** _mendenbar_** ** _, (lol yeah it's fan fic and I didn't have the heart to drag it out for them),_** ** _kareneb, topaz270 (yes the lesson learnt is wear a seatbelt, glad you liked the chapter), MstgSzy (sorry for making you hold your breath for so long!), 554Laura, gatewatcher (thanks!), AlexCabotAndCaseyNovak4Ever,_** ** _Monique Sampson_** ** _, Starlit jewel,_** ** _jsboneslover_** ** _(yeah I remember reading about that some time ago), nourseholly, Maverick Wayne (thanks for the high praise), .12_** ** _, and to other reviewers. I appreciate you taking the time to leave your thoughts._**

 ** _And on to the story._**

Rappelling down the slide of the side of the mountain, Aubrey wondered how Brennan had made it up to the road. Although he knew she had climbed up a gentler slope, still Aubrey marvelled at how she had made it to the top. It couldn't have been an easy climb and it was a miracle she didn't fall. His thoughts turned to the previous night. Angela had alerted him to the fact the Booth and Brennan had failed to pick their kids from her house and were uncontactable. By the time he had ascertained that the couple had indeed managed to talk to the suspect, it was past midnight. What he wasn't sure was what had happened after. It seemed unlikely the suspect had done something to them. The likelihood of an accident was higher.

Search and rescue were contacted but could not make a meaningful search until daylight. Frustrated by their lack of response, Aubrey had set out along the same route Booth and Brennan had taken in the early hours of the morning. He was almost halfway to the couple's last known location when he received a call from Brennan who had borrowed a passer-by's phone. Aubrey had then alerted the rescue team who were already on stand-by, to their location. Brennan had refused to go to the hospital with the paramedics until Aubrey promised that he would go with the team to rescue Booth.

To expedite the rescue, the team had driven along the mountain side that Brennan had hiked along below, rappelling down to the approximate location where Brennan had last left Booth. She had been very precise in her directions and as the team reached the bottom, they were soon able to find his partner. Booth was slumped motionless against a tree. He could see where Booth's forehead had been split open and dried matted blood had flowed down the side of his face. Aubrey stood watching as the rescue team moved quickly to stablise him, putting him in a cervical collar and lying him onto the stretcher before inserting an IV line.

"Is he breathing?" Aubrey asked with trepidation.

"Yes, but he's still unconscious. The chopper's about fifteen minutes out."

Aubrey nodded his thanks and moved to call Brennan to give her the news.

… …

That was a day ago. Now sitting in the hospital room, Aubrey watched as his partner finally began to stir.

"Welcome back to the land of the living."

Those were the first words Booth heard when he woke. The voice was familiar, but not the one he was hoping to hear. He remembered sending Brennan to get help.

"Aubrey?"

Booth opened his eyes. The light of the room was impossibly bright. His head felt better and it didn't hurt as much to breathe but he still felt sore.

"How you feelin'?"

"Where's Bones?" Booth asked ignoring Aubrey's question.

"She went home at Angela's insistence. She could do with the rest plus she wanted some time with Hank and Christine."

"She's okay?"

"Yup. Doctor said she has whiplash and had mild dehydration. They hooked her up with an IV, gave her fluids and pain meds and sent her home. That was yesterday."

Booth closed his eyes. She was okay. That was all he needed to know. "I've been out for that long?"

"Yeah. It was close when we found you. You were unconscious. But you'll be okay. Just need some rest and you'd be back on your feet in no time."

"Thanks for coming to get me. How'd you find us?"

"Angela figured something was wrong when you guys didn't turn up to pick the kids and weren't answering your phones. Long story short, I got a call from Dr Brennan yesterday morning, she told me what happened and the rest is history."

Booth swallowed. His mouth still felt dry. He closed his eyes, thankful that Brennan had managed to get help uninjured.

"I guess the Bureau's pretty mad I lost one of their vehicles."

"They didn't seem too upset. But the case has been handed over to Agents Shaw and Richmond."

"They took us off the case?"

"Nah. I requested it. Figured my partner and his family needed my help."

Booth smiled. "Thanks Aubrey."

"Daddy!" Christine's excited squeal preceded her small frame as she ran into her father's hospital room. Behind her Brennan was pushing Hank in his stroller.

"Hey princess." Booth beamed at his family. That he was still alive and still had his family intact was all that mattered.

"Christine, mind your Dad's chest." Brennan was quick to remind her daughter.

"I know Mommy."

Brennan locked eyes with Booth. They were both glad to see each other again. Before they could say anything, Christine spoke again.

"Are you okay Daddy? Mommy said you both were in an accident. That's why we had to stay with Auntie Angela."

"Yeah we were. But give me a couple of days and I'll be as good as new. Come here."

Aubrey helped lift Christine, perching her on the edge of Booth's hospital bed. The little girl leaned in slowly to plant a kiss on her father's cheek.

"I'm sorry we scared you Christine."

"I wasn't scared. Auntie Angela told us everything would turn out okay like it always does."

"She's right princess."

Not wanting to be left out Hank whined. "Daddy!"

Aubrey was quick to lift Hank out of his stroller, carrying the two-year-old to his father's side. "Hey tiger, I missed you." Booth hugged the little boy, wincing as he planted a kiss to son's head.

Knowing his partner and his wife would like their own private reunion after their harrowing ordeal in the woods, and also genuinely hungry, Aubrey remarked, "Okay, I'm starving."

"Uncle Aubrey, you're always hungry." Christine giggled.

"Let's go to the cafeteria and get something to eat. Maybe we could bring back some ice cream for Mom and Dad."

"Yeah!"

Aubrey ushered the kids out the door. Brennan was by Booth's side in an instant. He reached for her, pulling her into his embrace. She gave him a quick peck on the lips before settling into the chair next to him. Still craving contact, she took his hand into hers.

"You made it. I knew you would." Booth smiled.

"Yes, I hiked for almost two hours before I got help. I did exactly as you told me to. The climb was hard and I almost lost my footing once but I made it to the top."

"That's my girl!"

Brennan smiled. "You were very fortunate. They found you just in time."

"I know, Aubrey told me. But he didn't tell me what's the damage. I know my ribs must be broken or something. Something with my head." He touched the bandage that now covered his gash on his forehead.

"You had stitches to that. A cracked skull and ribs. You were also severely dehydrated and you have a concussion. The CT scan showed that there's no internal hemorrhaging in your brain, which is a good thing. You just need time to recover."

"What about you? You're okay right?"

"Yes. I was mildly dehydrated and that was easily corrected with an intravenous infusion of electrolytes."

"Your neck still hurt?"

"A little."

"You need to rest too babe." She didn't like him calling her that but Booth let the term of endearment slip as he placed a palm on her cheek, pulling her to him for a tender kiss. Given what they had recently been through, he thought she wouldn't have minded.

"Angela and Hodgins volunteered to take the kids for a little while, but I find that I'd rather be with them."

"I know. But at least let them help out a little. Or else I just might have to make them let me out of here right now."

"Is that a threat?" Brennan asked teasingly.

"I'm serious. You need to take care of yourself."

"Okay." Brennan conceded. It was at times like this that she missed Max.

As if he could read her mind, Booth squeezed her hand. "Missing your Dad?"

"Yes, a little."

"I'm sure he's glad you're missing him."

"Booth, my father's dead. There is no way he could know."

"Trust me, he knows."

Brennan smiled, choosing not to argue. She wanted very much to believe her husband.

"Hey look at me." Booth continued. "We're both alive and well and we'll both make a full recovery. That's something to be happy about huh?"

"Yes."

Booth tugged at her hand again and the couple shared another kiss.

Brennan took his advice, choosing to focus on the present, Booth and her had come home relatively unscathed to their children. Children. She remembered her thoughts that night in the forest. She pushed that thought aside too. That would be a discussion for another time.

 ** _And that's the end of this story. I'm planning a sequel, so stay tuned but before that I have some other story ideas in mind, so keep a look out for them._**


End file.
